So, I was quoted in The New York Times on Sunday. The article is centred on the Dunkin’ Donuts Glazed Donut Breakfast Sandwich (which you saw me post a video review of), and it’s called Why Healthy Eaters Fall For Fries. Telling you about this two-sentence-claim-to-fame of mine makes me giggle, because, truly, is this real life? Getting a phone call from a reporter at The New York Times and being asked many serious questions about the whys and hows of eating a donut stuffed with bacon and eggs? This world of ours is hysterically wonderful. I do so love being in it. I really do.

Onto chocolate.

Trader Joe’s PB&J Milk Chocolate Bar

The wonderful Carolyn gave me this Trader Joe’s PB&J Milk Chocolate Bar while I was visiting in May, as she knows me well enough to know that anything peanut butter-flavoured will make me shriek with joy. Snapping off a square of this candy-bar sized chocolate showed me a slightly-grainy peanut butter filling topped with a layer of shiny, pink, liquid-y jelly, all encased in a smooth milk chocolate that broke apart easily.

The aroma reminded me of Smucker’s Goober PB & J, but thankfully the taste proved to be of far higher quality than that Frankenstein spread. The jelly layer did have a fake element to its raspberry-esque fruitiness, and the peanut butter could have been deeper and truer in nuttiness, but together their salty-sweetness combined with the woodsy smooth milk chocolate in a pleasant and easy-to-eat way.

Lindt Vanilla White Chocolate Truffles

As many of you would know, I’m not a fan of chocolate truffles as a rule. I prefer my chocolate in straight-up bar or block form.

However, when I saw a myriad vanilla been seeds winking out at me from the white chocolate truffles pictured on Lindt’s new shiny Vanilla White Chocolate Truffles packaging, I found myself unable to resist winking back.

I don’t say “fatty” as a bad thing. Fat is good and delicious and wonderful. But there was definitely something about these Lindt truffles that reminded me of eating softened butter by the spoonful on a hot summer’s day, and I’ve never even eaten softened butter by the spoonful on a hot summer’s day.

These truffles were sweet, rich, gorgeously melty, and truly studded through with real vanilla bean seeds. I’d have preferred a slightly stronger vanilla bean flavour, but at least what was there didn’t taste fake.

I used to scrape curls of butter off the block of butter with my fingernails and eat them straight up (in large quantities) shudder shudder. Then again, I also ate those little red sausages straight up raw, so I was quite a disgusting child.

Ooh I thought that they were violet Lindor balls for a second! Hmmm I used to like Lindor balls more but they’re too buttery for me now. Did I say that? And hehe you must tell us more about that phone call!

It’s totally going to be her!! ZOMG! Today I asked Shay where Carrie’s from and she said Minnesota, and now I’ve come home and seen your message, so it’s totally her! Wheeee! Next time I see her I’ll hug her for you 🙂

I cracked up at your quips in that article. They go to all this trouble to introduce you as a *famous* blogger all the way from Australia and your assessment is essentially, “American food is totally weird! LOL!” Loved it.

The thing that I find hilarious is that we talked for ten minutes or so, and yet what were chosen were surely my most bumbling, least eloquent turns of phrase. But my big fear was coming across as pretentious, so I’ll take what I got. Maybe. Yeah. Probably, anyway. 😉

oh you are a star of eating weird American junk food – and now the whole world knows – well at least New Yorkers do. Well done!

And these chocolate look interesting though not my favourite chocolate combinations – though ironically I have been experimenting with white chocolate in ice cream. I think I would be interested in the peanut butter bar but wouldn’t it be great with really tart fruity jam

Ha, thank you my dear! Must admit, fast food isn’t usually my jam (I’d much rather make a picnic out of grocery stores, even if I’m picking terrible processed grocery store snacks…) but this did, somehow, get a hold of me 😛

Congrats on your new-found fame. How exciting to have a phone call from the New York Times. I would have felt very important. I love the look of the Trader Joe’s peanut butter and jelly bar. I would love some of that right about now. We’re away in a holiday house and I forgot to buy something sweet to enjoy after dinner – there’s nothing here. Only apples! I’m getting withdrawals xx

As you know, I like truffles a lot more than you do, but these particular truffles don’t hold a lot of appeal. Given I’ve yet to experience ‘true’ white chocolate, the very concept of a white chocolate truffle conjures up an eating experience that is all butter and sugar. Thank goodness they included real vanilla beans at least 🙂 And the peanut butter chocolate sounds excellent!

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About

Hannah. Writer, editor, firm believer in socks, gin, laughter, buttered toast, cheesecake, and semicolons. Currently back in Canberra after two years living in Canada; heart tingling to see what happens next.